Before Bobby Bowden started making predictions on the future of new coaches and ESPN decided to do a broadcast from over 1,000 feet above Doak Campbell Stadium, the legendary head coach and Florida State Seminoles were consistently a college football power. The glory days are about to make a cameo during the season opener, too.

As host to one of the top opening-weekend games across the country, the No. 19 Seminoles will host the No. 20 Virginia Tech Hokies in an ACC showdown on Labor Day that will feature a blast from the past when head coach Willie Taggart paces the sidelines for the first time.

With national titles in 1993 and 1999 and 12 conference championships under Bowden, who went 304-97-4 in 34 seasons at the helm, Florida State was one of the all-time great dynasties in college football with one of the most recognizable end zone designs.

To have them return is nothing short of amazing.

A program that has produced 218 All-Americans and 250 professional players in its history, Florida State might not have polarizing superstars like Deion Sanders or studs like wide receiver Peter Warrick or Heisman Trophy winners like Charlie Ward and Chris Weinke right now as they did back in the glory days, but the nostalgic end zones might help the crowd get even more amped up.

Then again, having Deondre Francois back healthy at quarterback could be exciting enough to start the 2018 campaign.

Having a Top 25 matchup to kickoff the season will be sweet. So will having a capacity crowd of 79,560 on hand for a special Monday game on national TV.

But the end zones? Man, that’s an extra touch to what could be a special night, and a great start to a new era of Seminoles football.

With over 10 years of sports writing experience, Brett has covered some of the top local, regional, and national sporting events in the Heartland for both print and digital platforms. He is a graduate of Kansas State University and resides in Austin, Texas.